New data shows Acadia visitors were fewer last year, but spent over $300M in Maine

File Photo / Laurie Schreiber Acadia National Park had 2.7 million visitors in 2020, own from 3.4 million during 2019. But visitation resulted in $306 million of spending last year, despite the downturn.

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By Staff

A new federal report shows that visitors to Acadia National Park spent $306 million in Maine during 2020, despite the pandemic’s damper on travel and tourism.

Acadia, on Mount Desert Island, is among the top 10 most popular national parks in the United States, with more than 3.4 million visits in 2019. Visitation has surged almost 60% in a decade, according to the National Park Service. However, with travel restrictions in place during most of last year, the number of visitors dropped to 2.7 million, the new report says.

Still, the 2020 visits supported 4,572 jobs and provided an economic impact in Maine of $454 million, according to the new report.

Other data show 2021 is off to a strong start as well. Through the first four months of the year Acadia had 184,548 visitors, up from 110,351 last year and about 105,000 in 2019, according to the park service.

In a news release Monday, U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, said, “From the coastal views of Acadia National Park to the awe-inspiring Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument, Maine’s natural jewels attracted literally millions of visitors seeking a respite and clean, fresh air in the midst of a historic pandemic … These special public lands drive tourism and create vital economic activity for our state.”